Prayers and disappointment for Sanford from Washington

WASHINGTON — Gov. Mark Sanford's Republican colleagues in Washington -- with one conspicuous exception -- offered their prayers and support Wednesday in response to his disclosure of a sexual affair with a woman in Argentina.

The exception was Sen. Jim DeMint, an ideological soul mate of Sanford who shares his hard-edged conservative views.

DeMint delivered a terse verdict on the bombshell news from the State House in Columbia, S.C.

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DeMint, a Greenville Republican, and Sanford were leading opponents of President Barack Obama's $787 billion economic-stimulus plan.

Before Congress passed the stimulus measure in February, DeMint invited Sanford to address a luncheon attended by dozens of Republican senators in the U.S. Capitol. Both men have been cited as possible 2012 presidential candidates.

"He had a big impact on senators by explaining that bailing out states that refused to make necessary fiscal reforms would not help our nation in the long run," DeMint said after the lunch.

Only three Republican senators and no GOP House members voted for the stimulus bill. Sanford went to court in a failed bid to reject $700 million in stimulus money for his state.

South Carolina's other senator, Lindsey Graham, is a close friend of Sanford who served with him in the U.S. House of Representatives after their 1994 elections.

Graham, a Seneca Republican, offered "any personal support" he could provide to Sanford, S.C. first lady Jenny Sanford and their four sons.

"The Sanford family needs time and space to work through their challenges," Graham said. "I hope they are afforded that opportunity."

"I am saddened at the news of this revelation and encourage the people of South Carolina to allow the Sanford family to deal with this matter with the privacy that each of us would hope for," Brown said.